SUNTORY Wheelchair Basketball VR Video Released You're the one stepping onto the court in the final minute!
Suntory Holdings released a VR video titled "The Last Minute. You Are the Japanese National Team." featuring wheelchair basketball on its website on April 24.
( http://www.suntory.co.jp/culture-sports/challengedsports/movie.html )
The company believes the spirit of athletes striving toward their goals resonates with its founding philosophy, "Go ahead and try it." Since 2014, it has supported challenged athletes and sports promotion. Initiatives include athlete-led sports experience sessions and the "Challenged Athlete Incentive Fund," which supports the development and strengthening of top athletes. In 2015, it signed an official partnership agreement with the Japan Wheelchair Basketball Federation, supporting national team candidates and organizing employee volunteer activities at competitions. Recognized for these support activities, the company was selected as a "2016 Tokyo Metropolitan Government Model Company for Sports Promotion."
The video was created with the desire to convey the appeal of this intense, high-impact sport—featuring fierce collisions and other thrilling moments—to a wider audience. VR cameras were used during filming, allowing viewers to experience the match from the players' perspective, not the spectators'.
The scene is set in the final minute of a match. Trailing by four points, "you" enter the court as a substitute. After teammates narrow the gap to two points, "you" receive the final pass. Can you sink the three-point shot!?
Immersive footage unfolds from your perspective: conversations and shouts with teammates, the ball being passed, and the intense collisions of wheelchairs.
The main performers are current players from the Japanese national team candidates: Eiji Toyoshima, Daisuke Tsuchiko, Naohiro Murakami, Takuya Furusawa, Rin Kawahara, Takahiro Hida, Kei Akita, and Mitsuki Tachikawa. Player Tachikawa, who filmed wearing a VR camera, said, "The camera was heavy and tough," but still managed to sink the shot perfectly at the buzzer. The players commented, "We hope viewers feel like they're standing on the court with us and enjoy the appeal and intensity of the sport."
A special booth will be set up at the "Japan Wheelchair Basketball Championship," held at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Shibuya Ward from May 3rd to 5th, where visitors can experience 3D VR videos by wearing headsets.
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